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Informal Discussions (informal + discussion)
Selected AbstractsFrameworks for Language Study at A LevelENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2000John Keen Abstract This article argues that students of language study at A level need opportunities to build a broad foundation for exploring language experience, familiar issues and accessible concepts using practical activities and informal discussion if they are to develop their understanding of the more formal and systematic aspects of language theory. Teachers need familiarity with the staging points which correspond to different levels of students' understanding, and access to frameworks for language study which are sufficiently detailed to enable them to recognise growth points and build on students' achievements. [source] Occupational colour vision requirements for police officersOPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 6 2008Jennifer Birch Abstract Inclusion of public service professions in the UK Disability Discrimination Act in 2004 prompted a review of occupational colour vision requirements for police officers. Changes in the regulations which existed prior to 2003 were proposed. The aim of this study was to obtain the views of serving police officers in Northern Ireland on the importance of good colour discrimination in everyday police work and on the recruitment regulations for patrol constables introduced in 2003 in mainland UK. These views were obtained by means of a questionnaire and informal discussions. More than 65% of police officers who responded to the questionnaire considered that good colour vision was very important for effective policing. Fewer than 2% considered that colour vision was unimportant. Experienced police officers agreed that the employment of colour-deficient patrol constables, as permitted in the new regulations, would lead to reduced efficiency and organisational difficulties at the local level. A number of everyday activities were described which showed the need for accurate colour discrimination. The change in recruitment policy and the lack of clarity in the new regulations show inadequate appreciation of the needs of the occupation, of different types of colour vision anomalies and of the diagnostic function of colour vision tests. Failure to provide guidance on appropriate colour vision tests, examination procedures and counselling services is likely to result in inconsistent employment policies in different police forces. It is recommended that the colour vision standard in place prior to 2003 is reinstated at the recruitment stage. The Ishihara test should be used for screening, and colour-deficient applicants further examined with the Farnsworth D15 test as a replacement for the City University Test 2nd edition. [source] Trusting souls: A segmentation of the voting publicPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 12 2002Leon G. Schiffman When a 30-year decline in the American voters' trust of political office holders and the election process is contrasted to their enduring trust of the democratic form of government, there is strong confirmation of the need to take a multidimensional approach in measuring political trust. To this end, a segmentation scheme based on two well-established political trust measures (i.e., incumbent-based trust and regime-based trust) is proposed. In particular how two specific trust segments differ in terms of the time they spend on various political and election-related activities is examined. Among other things, the findings reveal that the dual-trusting segment (i.e., those who were both regime and incumbent trusting) were substantially more likely than the regime-only trusting segment (i.e., those who were regime trusting and incumbent untrusting) to watch television debates or speeches and have informal discussions with friends and co-workers on topics related to the election. There were no meaningful differences between the two segments when it came to giving or raising funds, or campaigning for a candidate or political party. However, when it came to voting-related decision making, the results suggest that dual-trusting individuals were significantly more likely to spend more than a little time considering how they were going to vote for President, U.S. Senate, and on particular political issues. The article ends with suggestions for future research, as well as some thoughts on how politicians and their advisers might more fully embrace the relational marketing paradigm, especially as it pertains to the connection between elected officials and the voting public. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Support and intervention groups for adolescents with cancer in two Ontario communities,CANCER, Issue S7 2006Maru Barrera PhD Abstract Adolescents who are treated for cancer must learn to negotiate challenging developmental tasks in the context of their treatment and adverse effects. Adverse affects of disease and treatment may prevent some of these adolescents from achieving full psychosocial development. Two programs developed independently to address the psychosocial and unique contextual needs of adolescents and young adults from different geographic regions in Ontario, Central urban and Northeastern rural, are described. The program in the urban area consists of eight 2-h sessions that combined structured creative activities and informal discussions of issues generated by adolescents; it includes a pre- post- intervention evaluation with standardized questionnaires. The Northeastern rural program consists of a monthly support open group that encourages sharing personal experiences and an annual expressive art retreat; both components include informal evaluation. Formal evaluation of these programs is in progress. Informal feedback from participants and parents suggest positive effects. These distinct and unique programs continue to evolve, as they address the unique psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults in urban and rural areas. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source] |